Sudan army recaptures key Omdurman market from RSF

March 29, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s army said on Saturday it had recaptured the vast Souk Libya market in Omdurman from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), marking another battlefield gain.

The advance comes after months of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023 and has caused a severe humanitarian crisis.

After taking the market, the army began operations to encircle RSF units in the nearby Umbada neighbourhood and areas to the far west and south of Omdurman, the military said.

“Our forces have established control over Souk Libya in Omdurman,” army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said in a statement.

Abdallah added that the army seized weapons and equipment abandoned by RSF fighters who fled the market.

Videos posted online, purportedly by army soldiers, appeared to show government troops in control of the market area and nearby sites, including the Umbada local police station.

Separately, reports emerged of a large RSF force withdrawing from Khartoum and Khartoum North southward across the Jebel Aulia bridge. The force allegedly committed violations in villages west of Omdurman, mainly inhabited by the Jumu’iya tribal group, killing at least 20 civilians, according to local activists and residents.

The paramilitary forces fled the area after the arrival of army troops on Saturday.

Meanwhile, following earlier army announcements of securing central Khartoum, the foreign and minerals ministries sent teams to assess damage to government buildings ahead of potential repairs and staff returning, state media reported.